Since their discovery, ordered mesoporous silicates prepared using cooperative assembly techniques have been the subject of considerable research. See, for example, C. L. Kresge et al., Nature, volume 359, pages 710-712 (1992); D. F. Zhao et al., Science, volume 279, pages 548-552 (1998); and D. H. Zhao et al., Journal of the American Chemical Society, volume 120, pages 6024-6036 (1998). While the development of ordered mesoporous silicate particles and films has been underway for some time, their ultimate applications in devices, catalysis and separations has been challenged by issues of thermal and mechanical stability. Specifically, traditional routes to these materials lead to incomplete silicate network formation during the condensation process that produces the inorganic network. For example, in known as-formed (uncalcined) mesoporous silicas, the fraction of silicon atoms bound to four —OSi groups (Q4) is often only about half as great as the combined fractions of silicon atoms bound to two (Q2) and three (Q3) —OSi groups. In other words, the ratio Q4/(Q3+Q2) is often 0.5 or less. Incomplete condensation chemistry in turn leads to significant shrinkage of the film or particles during calcination as well as thermal, mechanical, and hydrothermal instability of the resulting mesoporous silicas under conditions required for many of their intended uses. Furthermore, many of the known methods of producing mesoporous silicas require extremely acidic conditions and/or high temperatures that are incompatible with many molecules and nanoparticles that are candidates for encapsulation in mesoporous silicates.
There is therefore a desire for a method of producing highly condensed mesoporous silicates under mild conditions.